Chapter 15 of the Gospel of Mark
Observe the text to understand the author’s meaning
Read 15:1-5. What question did the high priest ask Jesus in 14:61? Was this a political or theological question? Now what question does pilate ask Jesus? Is this political or theological or both? What was Jesus response to Pilate? How many witnesses are called? Does Jesus give further testimony? Want to speculate on why not? Are the chief priest’s attempting to get a fair hearing for Jesus? What are they doing? What is Pilate’s response to the situation?
Have there been other people in Mark who responded in the same way to Jesus? Where?
Read 15:6-15. Who is Barabbas? What is he convicted of? Did he break the Roman law? Did he break God’s law? What was God’s law based on? (See Gen 9:6) Who did Pilate want to release? Why?
Why does he eventually release Barabbas and agree to crucify Jesus? Is this the role of good government or is this a response to the “polls?”
Calvin observes that it was an abhorrent practice to release a criminal as an act of worship during the passover feast. To defy God’s law in Scripture which called the government to punish criminals and call it an act of honor or worship was abhorrent. They “bring insult upon him under the pretext of honor.” Discuss.
How does Pilate assess the chief priests? What role do the chief priests play in relation to the multitude? What was their role supposed to be? Why are thy not able to fulfill their God ordained calling? By calling for Jesus’ crucifixion are the chief priests breaking the law? Is there impartial government support for their position? Discuss responsibilities of leadership. Discuss responsibilities of those who follow leaders.
Notice “king of the Jews” is used 4 times in vs 2-18. And “Pilate” is mentioned 8 times. Do you see this as the king of the Jews verses THE KING OF THE JEWS? Who is the true king? Can you discuss the difference between the true king and the false by their fruits?
The political king Pilate, the chief priests, and the king of the Jews are the key players in this section. Is the king of the Jews behaving the way the chief priests wanted?
In their mind, if he was the king of the Jews after David, and the Messiah, do you think they expected him to respect their positions and even elevate them to greater positions of power in the new regime? Instead what had Jesus done?
Read 15:16-20. Notice what happens. Where do they take Jesus? How do they dress him? What do they do to honor his kingship?
Do you see this as an absolute turning upside down of Jesus’ rightful place? They bow before him but they do it in mockery instead of devotion.
Read 15:21-32. Vs 24 is a fulfillment of Ps 22:18. Notice in vs 29-32 the visible and invisible realms. What do those passing by, the chief priests and even those crucified with Jesus, charge Jesus with?
What is really happening? Is Jesus saving them?
What in the OT was the significance of the temple? What was the significance of the tearing of the veil. See Ex 26:31-33. What was behind the veil? What took place in the temple? What is the significance of what Jesus is saying and has done regarding the temple? How has the temple changed?
Read 15:33-41. Read Ps 22:1 which Jesus quotes. Why was Jesus forsaken by God?
Does Mark record that any of the disciples were at the crucifixion? Jesus was rejected by men including his own followers. Who was at the crucifixion? Close by? Who does confess that he is the Son of God?
Read 15:42-47. Who comes to claim Jesus’ body? What is the burial proof of? What is Joseph feeling? What is his position? Notice in 14:15 that the “Whole council” was present. Was Joseph there? Do you think he might be feeling repentance?
Notice what kind of cloth Joseph wraps Jesus in. What according to Lev 16:3-4 were the high priests to wear?
Interpret the text
- There are two levels of action here. The visible and the invisible. In the visible realm, a convicted murderer (Barabbas means bar = son, and abba = father; Son of the Father) and political insurrectionist is released from prison and death and an innocent man killed.
It occurs during the Passover feast, a celebration of the time when God passed over the Israelites who had blood on their door posts but killed the first born of the Egyptians.
In the visible, the one who claimed to be Messiah and King is killed by the envy of the religious leaders and mocked as king.
What is happening in the invisible realm which corresponds to the visible? prophecy? passover sacrifice? temple? whose in control? who is high priest? who is king? other?
Bible study notes
Mark 15:21-32. Calvin suggests that the wine mixed with myrrh was not to drug Jesus for the pain but because it would help the victim to die more quickly by thinning their blood so it would pour out more quickly. At any rate, Jesus chooses not to accept a pain killer or die more quickly.
Notice the references to the temple since Jesus entered Jerusalem:
- 11:11 – he arrives in Jerusalem and goes to the temple.
- 11:15-18 -he cleanses the temple saying that they have made it a den of robbers.
- 11:27 – he taught in the temple
- 12:35 – he taught in the temple
- 13:1-3 – the disciples are awestruck by the magnificence of the temple
- 13:1-3 Jesus says the temple will be destroyed
- 14:49 – they come with clubs to take Jesus and he asks if he is a criminal, that he taught each day in the temple and they could have taken him any time.
- 14:58 – Jesus is accused of saying he will destroy the temple made with hands and in three days build another without hands.
- 15:29 – those passing by mock Jesus that he said he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days
- 15:38 – the veil of the temple is torn from the top to the bottom.
Calvin says, “The proof which the wicked demand of Christ is such that by showing himself to be the Son of God he must cease to be the Son of God…To show himself Son of God he had to hang on the cross. Now these wicked say that the Redeemer will not, for them, have the place of God’s Son unless he comes down from the cross.”
Mark 15:33-41. Calvin suggests that this is not an error in translation by hearers unfamiliar with Hebrew but rather an attempt to mock Christ’s prayer—to claim he does not know God and therefore calls on Elijah.
(Chapter 16 will follow in the next issue.)
This study first appeared in Theology Matters, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Jul/Aug 1997).
